What happened to the Americans who crossed into North Korea?

On July 18, 2023, US Army soldier Travis King crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and over the border into North Korea during a civilian tour of the area. At the time, he was facing a dishonorable discharge due to legal allegations against him in South Korea, including the solicitation of inappropriate images of minors.

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Travis King -

King was detained by North Korean authorities for a month but was finally released in September 2023. Upon his return to US custody, he was met with eight different charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

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Euna Lee and Laura Ling -

On March 17, 2009, American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling (sister of Lisa Ling) were arrested in North Korea, after crossing the border from China without a visa.

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Euna Lee and Laura Ling -

The journalists were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in June 2009, but were pardoned on August 5, 2009 and flown back to the US.

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Otto F. Warmbier -

College student Otto Warmbier was on a tour of North Korea when he was detained in January 2016 under charges of subversion. Warmbier allegedly tried to steal a political banner from his hotel.

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Otto F. Warmbier -

Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, but was released early. Just over a year later, the student was back in the United States. Except, Warmbier was in a vegetative state.

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Otto F. Warmbier -

Otto F. Warmbier went into a coma after his arrest and trial, but doctors were unable to find a reason for it. Sadly, the 22-year-old from Ohio passed away shortly after his return home, on June 19, 2017.

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James Joseph Dresnok -

US Army soldier James Joseph Dresnok was stationed in South Korea in 1962, when he decided to defect to North Korea.

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James Joseph Dresnok -

Dresnok, as well as other defectors, became movie stars in North Korea. They would play Americans (in a very negative way, of course). James Joseph Dresnok also worked as a translator and became a college English professor. He never returned stateside, and died in 2016.

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Merrill Newman -

Businessman and former US Army officer Merrill Newman was arrested while on a tour of the country in October 26, 2013.

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Merrill Newman -

The veteran, who helped train anti-communist guerrillas during the Korean War, was imprisoned and reportedly coerced to sign a confession and apology for war crimes committed during the conflict. Newman was released on December 7.

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Aijalon Gomes -

American teacher Aijalon Gomes was arrested for illegally crossing the Chinese border and entering North Korea on January 25, 2010.

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Aijalon Gomes -

Gomes landed on American soil in August 27, 2010. It was announced that former US President Jimmy Carter had secured his release.

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Robert Park -

Korean-American activist Robert Park was arrested in December 2009 after crossing the border from China into North Korea as a protest against the country's violation of human rights. Park was detained and released in February 2010. Robert Park claimed he was tortured during his imprisonment.

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Kim Dong-chul -

Kim Dong-chul ran the Tamangang Hotel in North Korea, and found himself supplying intelligence to the CIA and South Koreans.

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Kim Dong-chul -

Dong-chul was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Though after just over two years in a prison camp, in May 2016, Kim Dong-chul was released. Two others joined him.

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Tony Kim -

Tony Kim was working at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, when he was arrested on alleged charges against the government. Kim was one of the three men released in May 2016.

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Kim Hak-song -

Kim Hak-song was a colleague of Tony Kim at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Kim Hak-song was accused of trying to proselytize Catholicism in the country.

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Kim Hak-song -

Kim Hak-song was never formally sentenced, but spent nearly a year detained before his release, together with his fellow American citizens.

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Charles Jenkins -

Sgt. Charles Jenkins of the US Army was stationed in South Korea in 1965, when he (reportedly in a drunken state) voluntarily crossed the border into North Korea.

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Charles Jenkins -

Jenkins was made a North Korean citizen and forced to work for the government and military.

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Charles Jenkins -

In the 1980s, Charles Jenkins married another captive, a Japanese woman named Hitomi Soga. Soga was released from North Korea in 2002, and Jenkins joined her in Japan in 2004.

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Charles Jenkins -

Jenkins faced US military court over his desertion. He became the longest-missing deserter to return to the US military. Jenkins passed away in Japan in 2017, aged 77.

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Anna Wallis Suh -

Anna Wallis Suh was with her husband in Seoul when the communist forces invaded in June 1950. Soon after, she started working in communist radio broadcasting and became known by American troops as "Seoul City Sue."

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Anna Wallis Suh -

Not much is known about Anna Wallis Suh's further involvement with the North Korean government, or indeed what happened to her. In his memoir, former defected soldier Charles Jenkins stated that "Seoul City Sue" was in fact a double agent working for South Korea, and that she was eventually killed.

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Kenneth Bae -

South Korean-American Evangelical Christian missionary Kenneth Bae was held captive in North Korea from 2012 to 2014.

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Kenneth Bae -

Bae was accused of "hostile acts against the republic" and planning to overthrow the government, among other accusations. Bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

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Kenneth Bae -

Kenneth Bae was released on November 8, 2014, along with fellow American citizen Matthew Miller. In 2016, Bae published a book about his experience, called 'Not Forgotten: The True Story of My Imprisonment in North Korea.'

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Matthew Miller -

Matthew Todd Miller was on a tour in North Korea in April 2014, when he was arrested for "committing acts hostile to the DPRK while entering under the guise of a tourist."

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Matthew Miller -

Miller was sentenced to six years of hard labor, but he was released in November 2014. Matthew Miller later said that he tried to seek asylum in North Korea, but denied working for the US government or being involved in espionage.

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Jeffrey Fowle -

Like Kenneth Bae, Jeffrey Fowle was also arrested for allegedly trying to spread the Christian faith. In May 2014, he was accused of leaving a Bible in his hotel room, which was considered a form of proselytizing.

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Jeffrey Fowle -

Jeffrey Fowle was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, but he was released before completing six months of his sentence.

Sources: (The New York Times) (Associated Press) (Grunge) (BBC)

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Travis King -

Public Domain

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Travis King -

Getty Images

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Euna Lee and Laura Ling -

On March 17, 2009, American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling (sister of Lisa Ling) were arrested in North Korea, after crossing the border from China without a visa.

Getty Images

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Euna Lee and Laura Ling -

The journalists were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in June 2009, but were pardoned on August 5, 2009 and flown back to the US.

Getty Images

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Otto F. Warmbier -

College student Otto Warmbier was on a tour of North Korea when he was detained in January 2016 under charges of subversion. Warmbier allegedly tried to steal a political banner from his hotel.

Getty Images

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Otto F. Warmbier -

Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, but was released early. Just over a year later, the student was back in the United States. Except, Warmbier was in a vegetative state.

Getty Images

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Otto F. Warmbier -

Getty Images

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James Joseph Dresnok -

US Army soldier James Joseph Dresnok was stationed in South Korea in 1962, when he decided to defect to North Korea.

Public Domain

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James Joseph Dresnok -

Public Domain

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Merrill Newman -

Businessman and former US Army officer Merrill Newman was arrested while on a tour of the country in October 26, 2013.

Getty Images

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Merrill Newman -

Getty Images

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Aijalon Gomes -

American teacher Aijalon Gomes was arrested for illegally crossing the Chinese border and entering North Korea on January 25, 2010.

Getty Images

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Aijalon Gomes -

Gomes landed on American soil in August 27, 2010. It was announced that former US President Jimmy Carter had secured his release.

Getty Images

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Robert Park -

Public Domain

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Kim Dong-chul -

Kim Dong-chul ran the Tamangang Hotel in North Korea, and found himself supplying intelligence to the CIA and South Koreans.

Getty Images

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Kim Dong-chul -

Dong-chul was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Though after just over two years in a prison camp, in May 2016, Kim Dong-chul was released. Two others joined him.

Getty Images

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Tony Kim -

Tony Kim was working at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, when he was arrested on alleged charges against the government. Kim was one of the three men released in May 2016.

Getty Images

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Kim Hak-song -

Kim Hak-song was a colleague of Tony Kim at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Kim Hak-song was accused of trying to proselytize Catholicism in the country.

Getty Images

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Kim Hak-song -

Kim Hak-song was never formally sentenced, but spent nearly a year detained before his release, together with his fellow American citizens.

Getty Images

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Charles Jenkins -

Sgt. Charles Jenkins of the US Army was stationed in South Korea in 1965, when he (reportedly in a drunken state) voluntarily crossed the border into North Korea.

Public Domain

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Charles Jenkins -

Jenkins was made a North Korean citizen and forced to work for the government and military.

Getty Images

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Charles Jenkins -

In the 1980s, Charles Jenkins married another captive, a Japanese woman named Hitomi Soga. Soga was released from North Korea in 2002, and Jenkins joined her in Japan in 2004.

Getty Images

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Charles Jenkins -

Jenkins faced US military court over his desertion. He became the longest-missing deserter to return to the US military. Jenkins passed away in Japan in 2017, aged 77.

Getty Images

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Anna Wallis Suh -

Public Domain

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Anna Wallis Suh -

Getty Images

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Kenneth Bae -

South Korean-American Evangelical Christian missionary Kenneth Bae was held captive in North Korea from 2012 to 2014.

Getty Images

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Kenneth Bae -

Bae was accused of "hostile acts against the republic" and planning to overthrow the government, among other accusations. Bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

Getty Images

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Kenneth Bae -

Getty Images

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Matthew Miller -

Matthew Todd Miller was on a tour in North Korea in April 2014, when he was arrested for "committing acts hostile to the DPRK while entering under the guise of a tourist."

Getty Images

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Matthew Miller -

Getty Images

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Jeffrey Fowle -

Shutterstock

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Jeffrey Fowle -

Jeffrey Fowle was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, but he was released before completing six months of his sentence.

Sources: (The New York Times) (Associated Press) (Grunge) (BBC)

Getty Images

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What happened to the Americans who crossed into North Korea?

From tourists and army defectors to religious missionaries

31/01/25 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Curiosities

Of all the places one could be arrested and tried, North Korea is definitely not among the top choices! The country has its own strict rules and laws, and anyone who breaks them (or is accused of breaking them) is at serious risk of ending up serving time in tough conditions. This is what happened to several American citizens who, for one reason or another, found themselves detained on the wrong side of the border.

In this gallery, we look at some of the most notable cases of US citizens who crossed into North Korea. Click on and get to know their stories.